were on the point of / would / was to be /
were supposed to / were leaving / was going to be /
were going to be / was about to say

Florence Bell

Florence Bell was born on the first day of 1900.
As one of eight children, she left school at the age of 14.
'In those days, young girls
(1) ____________

were supposed to

help
their mothers around the house,' she remembers.
She was never terribly keen on school anyway: 'It was very
strict,' she says. 'I remember the headmistress bringing us all into her study, as we
(2) ____________

"No it isn't, it's the best!",
but I decided to keep quiet. You couldn't afford to be cheeky in those days.'
At the age of 16, she met Leslie parsons, the man who
(5) ____________

would

later become her husband. After becoming engaged in 1918,they
(6) ____________

were on the point of

getting married in 1920, when Leslie lost his job and the wedding
had to be postponed. 'We always knew things
(7) ____________

were going to
be

hard.' said Florence. 'Finding a job was very difficult in those days.'
It was eight years before Leslie
and Florence could finally afford to marry:
soon afterward they moved into the small terraced house in north London
which
(8) ____________

was to be

their home for the next sixty-five years.
Neither of them ever had any desire to move.
'Yes, I've enjoyed it on the whole.
The only thing is, if I came back, I'd have a bit more money.'